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In anticipation of the 75th NBA season (2021-22), we have been ranking the best players in the league. We drew up a list of the 10 best players heading into the new season as well as the top 10 players by position for the upcoming 2021-22 season.
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In order to give more focus to players across conferences, we have also named the five best players across the five positions in both the East and the West. Trae Young, James Harden, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid head the point guard, shooting guard, small forward and center position respectively in the Eastern Conference.
Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, correspondingly, ranked at the top of their respective positions in the Western Conference. The last of our rankings for the five best players at the center spot in the West is listed here.
#5 Jonas Valanciunas (New Orleans Pelicans)
Christian Wood (21.0 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 51.4% field-goal shooting in 2020-21) of the Houston Rockets would certainly have got a nod ahead of Jonas Valanciunas but then Wood’s season was restricted to just 41 games because of injury. Valanciunas was picked ahead of Wood in just the same way that Nikola Jokic won the NBA’s MVP award ahead of Joel Embiid.
Nonetheless, Valanciunas put up strong numbers for Memphis, going for career-bests in points (17.1 ppg), rebounds (12.5 ppg) and field goal efficiency (59.2%). Valanciunas was a big reason why the Memphis Grizzlies made it to the first round of the 2021 NBA postseason.
He has now been traded to the New Orleans Pelicans, where it will be interesting to see him partner with Zion Williamson in the Pelicans frontcourt.
#4 Deandre Ayton (Phoenix Suns)
The 2018 NBA Draft first overall pick gave a terrific account of himself right through the 2020-21 season. Ayton averaged a solid 14.4 ppg and 10.5 rpg while shooting a career-best 62.6% from the field for the Phoenix Suns. He was even better in the playoffs, posting 15.8 ppg and 11.8 rpg while shooting 65.8% from the floor as he anchored the Suns defense all the way through to the 2021 NBA Finals.
It can only get better for Ayton from heron. Given that he is still only 23, he is very capable of developing into a player who gives his team 20 points and 15 rebounds on a nightly basis. His first taste of the playoffs and of the NBA Finals will certainly push the big man on to great heights.
#3 Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves)
Karl-Anthony Towns has a double-double rate (293 out of 408 career games) of three every four games. That is better than both Anthony Davis and Giannis Antetokounmpo, which means Towns certainly has the game to dominate. He averaged 24.8 ppg, 10.6 rpg and a career-best 4.5 apg in the 2020-21 NBA season, which was a hard one for him, since he had lost several family members including his mother to COVID.
This is going to be a key season for KAT because of how he bounces back from the personal loss. He is among the better big shooting men in this league, posting an efficiency rate of near 40.0% from downtown. If he can put the Minnesota Timberwolves on his back and take them to the 2022 NBA Playoffs, it would be a big achievement for Towns both personally and on the team front as well.
#2 Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz)
The NBA’s best defensive big man. While Rudy Gobert may not exactly top the scoring averages, he certainly is a monster at protecting the rim. The fact that he has won three of the NBA’s last four Defensive Player of the Year awards, including the current one (2021), is proof of just how good he is.
Gobert averaged 14.3 ppg and 13.5 rpg in the 2020-21 season while shooting a league-best 67.5% from the floor. While his teammate Donovan Mitchell gets a lot of the praise for his scoring and athleticism, Gobert is the reason the Jazz have consistently been a playoff contender in the last few NBA seasons.
If only Gobert could develop some kind of mid-range jumper, he would be unstoppable given his long arms and incredible wingspan.
#1 Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets, 2020-21 NBA MVP)
With career-bests in scoring (26.4 ppg) and assists (8.3 apg) while giving his team 10.8 rpg, Nikola Jokic truly dominated for the Denver Nuggets in the 2020-21 NBA season. Jokic deservedly won the league’s MVP award on the back of an extremely efficient field goal shooting (56.6%) and three-point shooting (38.8%) performance.
That Jokic was also available for the entire 72-game season for the Nuggets, when the franchise was among the last four teams standing in the 2020 NBA Playoffs and had to play the 2020-21 season on a very short turnaround, is proof of Jokic’s toughness.
The injury to Jamal Murray derailed the Nuggets' aspirations for the 2021postseason. However, with Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon signed to new contracts, and Murray expected to return soon, the expectation in Denver is that Jokic can lift the team to greater heights.
